Butternut squash tastes as good as it sounds. This pear-shaped winter squash is a savory and nutritious addition to any meal. Baked Butternut squash is low in calories, contains no saturated fat and is loaded with Vitamin A. [1]

Ingredients

Servings: 6

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 60 to 90 minutes

1 butternut squash (about 2 lbs. (900 g))

2 tbsp. (30 ml) butter, melted

1/8 tsp. (5 ml) salt

1/8 tsp. (5 ml) nutmeg

1/8 tsp. (5 ml) cinnamon

2 tbsp. (30 ml) light brown sugar, divided

1 tbsp. (15 ml) butter, softened or cooking spray

Basil for garnish

Steps

1

Preheat your oven to 350° (176° C) and grease the bottom and sides of an 11 x 7” baking dish. Use softened butter or cooking spray.

2

Wash the squash and pat it dry. Butternut squash can be difficult to cut, so you don’t want it to be wet and slippery.

3

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Be sure to use a cutting board and a large, sharp knife. The skin on a butternut squash is thick.

4

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. There may be some stringy bits of squash; scrape them out with the spoon and discard along with the seeds.

5

Brush each of the squash halves with melted butter. A pastry brush works best, but you can drizzle the butter on the squash and spread it evenly with a butter knife.

6

Combine the salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl.

7

Sprinkle the spices over each squash half. You may want to divide the spice mixture in half before you sprinkle so that each half of the squash gets the same amount of seasoning.

8

Put 1 tbsp. (15 ml) brown sugar in the “well” of each squash half.

9

Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over each half of the squash.

10

Lay the squash halves, cut side up, in your baking dish.

11

Cover the dish with foil.

12

Bake the squash for 30 minutes.

13

Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil.

14

Return the squash, uncovered, to the oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes more or until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork.